Stay
by Aish.K
Summary: The aftermath of the EPIC battle from 3x09. I couldnt stand 5 week wait we had ahead of us,so my mind went into overdrive. Plus the fact that NO ONE came to help really hurt my heart, so this is my attempt to explain why she was left alone. the ending carries on into 3x10! hope you enjoyed it! (disclaimer:obviously im not a professional writer, so apologies for inconsistencies)
1. Part 1

Stay

'stay with me, Kara. Stay with me…' Alex whispered as she intubated Kara. Her hands shook as she struggled to get the tube in. Carl, the other medic with her, was quick to notice and gently slid the ET tube down Kara's throat.

'She's still crashing, agent Danvers.' Came a worried voice from her left. Jolene.

'Uh...I…' Alex couldn't think. All she could see was her little sister lying there, covered in blood, still as night.

'Agent Danvers?' Carl grabbed Alex's arm, shaking her and breaking her out of her reverie. No, she couldn't do this right now. Kara needed her.

'Make sure the oxygen is on high flow, where is my defib?' Alex blinked through the tears, trying to push her panicked thoughts away. She was trained for this. And she couldn't let her emotions get the better of her. Not now. Not. Now.

'Kara?!' came a familiar cry. Winn.

Alex looked up to see his face, contorted in grief and terror.

'Winn, go get the sunbed ready. GO. NOW!' Alex ordered. She knew asking him to stand and do nothing would be futile.

Winn nodded, still numb, and took off towards the sun room. On his way, he pushed past Mon-El and Imra and couldn't help but wonder…if only he hadn't returned.

'Keep ventilating her, Carl. Steady breathes, okay?' Alex looked at her colleague. He nodded, Agent Danvers was back.

'We need to get some drugs into her, her blood pressure and heart rate is still dropping.' Exclaimed Jolene.

'Right, get me some…' Alex stopped. Oh no. Kara's skin was invulnerable. How would they get the drugs into her? The needles would break!

Suddenly, two glowing green needles were thrust in front of her. Kryptonite. Alex looked up, confused. Mon-El.

'What the hell is this?' she demanded, anger rising in her.

'It's the only way to break her skin and get drugs into her.' He replied, his voice confident despite Alex's threatening tone.

'Kryptonite will kill her.'

'No, it won't. It's just the needle that's laced with it. The rest of the cannula is just reinforced plastic. It won't last long, but it'll be enough to get what you need into her. Please, Alex, trust me.' Mon-El stepped closer, grabbing Alex's arm.

'If **anything** happens to…' Alex was cut off by a blaring alarm from the monitors.

'Agent Danvers, we have to do something, **now** '

Out of pure desperation and against every instinct, Alex grabbed the kryptonite laced cannulas and proceeded to administer the drugs.

Mon-El slowly backed away, thankful Alex had paid heed to his words.

'What did you do?' Came a frustrated voice from behind him. Imra. Mon-El bit his lips, knowing what she was about to say.

'Mon-El, you know we can't…'

'And I can't watch her die!' he whispered angrily, whipping around to face her.

Imra grabbed him by the arm and dragged him out.

She looked at him, annoyed. 'I told you, she's going to be okay. It isn't her time yet!'

'it doesn't change **anything** , Imra. You telling me that is the **only** reason I didn't help her today and look where that got her.' Mon-El could feel the rage building inside him. The confidence in her voice, her calm demeanour. It was all making sense. She knew. She **knew**. That was why she had stopped him earlier today.

'We have to get her to the sun bed, these drugs aren't going to stay in her system for long. Her cells need to regenerate, heal.' Alex looked at the monitors which weren't going wild anymore.

'It's ready!' Winn was back, J'onn and James by his side.

'Okay, let's get her there.' Alex instructed, gathering all the equipment.

J'onn changed form and grabbed on to the stretcher, ready to whisk Kara off at the highest possible speed he could gather.

'J'onn wait.' Alex stopped him. 'we can't take her there without oxygen and the ET tube. We're going to have to do this human speed.'

He nodded, understanding. Oh how he wished with all his heart everyone else was a martian too.

Without missing a beat, all of Alex's colleagues grabbed on to whatever they could and raced off the fastest they could towards the sun room.

In the sunroom, Lena had already begun her preparations. The sunbed obviously needed a little booting up before it got to full power. And it didn't help it was currently 4am, a whole 3 hours before sunrise. Winn had been trying to get through to the stored solar energy so he could boot the sun bed at maximum power, but he had been such a nervous wreck, he could barely even hold his hands still. Lena tried to get some instructions out of him, but his words were a jumble, and his mind nothing but a panic room. Lena decided it would be more effective for Winn to get Supergirl here while she figured it out instead of having her wait. It didn't take long at all and just as Supergirl was wheeled in, the sun bed roared to life.

Lena did a double take as she took in the people who entered the room. There was…Alex, Hank, a few other DEO agents, Winn and, of course, James. But there was one person missing. Where was Kara?

'We have to get her onto it, on the count of three.' Alex ordered and everyone got into position. Alex stayed at Kara's head, gently wrapping her fingers around the back of her head and holding the ET tube in place.

'Be gentle everyone. One. Two. Three.' Everyone lifted in perfect sync and gently lay Kara's motionless body onto the sunbed. Just as they finished laying her down, one of Kara's hands dropped to the side and off the bed, completely limp.

'WATCH IT!' came a shout from the other side of the room. In the blink of an eye, Mon-El appeared by her side, gently grasping her hand in his. He could feel his heart skip a beat as soon as his hands touched hers. They were so, so cold...Tenderly, he placed it by her side, his eyes stinging as tears formed in them.

Alex clenched her teeth, the rage building up inside her again. But she couldn't let that take over. Not yet.

'Alright, let's get her back on the monitors. Jolene, get the leads and sats on, Carl, you get the oxygen and ventilator set up please. Everyone else, leave. She needs her rest.' Alex commanded, trying to control the anger inside.

Silently, everyone trickled out, their eyes fixed on Kara as they left. Mon-El gave Kara a long hard look before running off, as fast as he had come in.

James, Winn and Lena were among the last few to be left in the room.

'Alex…' James started, but Alex raised her hand, stopping him.

'Not now, James. Please.' She didn't know what he wanted, but whatever it was, it would have to wait. She couldn't process anything right now. James nodded and motioned to Lena and Winn to leave. Giving Kara another last look, the trio left.

James walked out into the corridor, his heart racing. What had he done. How could he have let this happen. He looked down at his empty wrist and squeezed his eyes shut. ' **How.** ' He whispered, turning around to punch the wall. Lena jumped at his sudden outburst.

'James?' she called out to him, worried.

His eyes flew open. Lena. He had been so distracted that for the first time since Clark handed him that watch, he had forgotten to put it on. For the first time, he had let not only his best friend down, but also his family.

James clenched his fists, the guilt turning into rage inside. If only he had been more focused. If only he had paid attention. He would have been there for Kara like she had always been there for him. He would have been able to call Clark, he would have been able to save her. If only he hadn't been distracted by something as menial as lust, his best friend would not have been in this position.

'James are you…' Lena reached out to touch him and James recoiled in disgust.

'Don't, Lena.' He said through gritted teeth.

Confused, Lena stepped closer. She had thought they had connected tonight…so what was wrong?

'James I…'

'I said **don't**.' James walked away, not giving her a chance to explain or understand. Hurt, Lena stood alone in the corridor, wondering whether to go after her new-found romance or stay for her friend who was at the brink of death.


	2. Part 2

As Carl and Jolene worked on the monitors and machines, Alex finally allowed herself to take in what she was seeing.

Kara lay deathly still on the sunbed, blood still oozing from her open wounds. They had been so busy trying not to let her die, they hadn't had time to deal with those yet. A sob escaped Alex's lips before she could stop it. Invulnerable. Indestructible. Invincible. These were the words she had always associated Kara with all her life. Whatever happened, no matter how bad things got, Kara could never get hurt. Kara could never bleed. And even if she ever did, a little bit of sun would have her up and running in seconds. Mere **seconds**. But almost an hour had passed…and she could barely even breathe on her own.

'Agent Danvers…' Jolene pushed a tray with dressings towards her.

'Jolene and I will go get the equipment for the other investigations we need to do.' Carl said before leaving with Jolene, leaving Kara alone with Alex.

As the door closed, Alex could feel her defences slowly slipping away. More tears escaped her eyes, blurring her vision. The only other sound in the room was the ventilator, hissing with every breath it gave Kara. Kara's chest rose and fell with each breath, limp. The powerful symbol of the house of El was charred beyond recognition. The power it must have taken to cause that…The pain Kara must have…

'Oh Kara…' Alex whispered, gingerly stroking her hair. Her eyes fell on the laceration on Kara's forehead and lip again, reminding her what she needed to do.

With a trembling hand, Alex reached for the wet cotton gauze. Carefully, she brought the gauze to Kara's head and lightly touched the wound before gasping and pulling her hand back, afraid she had hurt her. But there was no response from Kara. She was still as unstirring as ever. And that was the final crack that broke dam that was Alex Danvers.

Before she even knew what was going on, Alex was on her hands and knees, sobbing until she could barely catch a breath. The sounds she made were unfamiliar to her own ears, but she was too broken to be able to stop.

She had known, she had known something was not right. Her heart kept screaming at her to stop Kara, but she didn't. And now, her invulnerable sister was lying broken in front of her, in more ways than one and she had no idea how to help her. Everything she had ever learnt, ever trained for was of no use when she needed it the most. And the thought that she would lose Kara terrified Alex to the bone.

Lena jumped as two DEO agents walked out of the sun room. She stepped toward the door, peering through the window. It was just enough to catch a glimpse of Supergirl on the sunbed as the lights bathed her in a yellow glow. Lena felt her heart sink as she watched her lying there, unmoving. Her mind went back to the ferocious fight before she could stop it.

She had watched Supergirl get thrown off that building. Every inch she fell, Lena had hoped she would start flying again. The deafening thud that came as Supergirl landed on the concrete had her completely frozen. Supergirl…falling? She still remembered how Supergirl had literally flown her away from that explosion. How had she fallen? And why was she not moving? The shock of watching her literal hero fall had her feet almost nailed into the ground she stood on. She couldn't move, as much as she wanted so. She was never known to freeze in fear, nothing could ever phase her…at least that's what she had thought. There was a moment of complete silence, Lena remembered. It was a quick moment, almost as a long as a heartbeat, but it was enough. In that silent second, everyone held their breath for Supergirl. Every single person in that square had held their breath for their fallen hero, stunned that someone had managed to not only hurt, but incapacitate her.

As the silence was broken by Alex and the other DEO agents racing towards Supergirl, Lena couldn't help but think…could she have done more? Standing and staring pointlessly as her friend lay dying…surely there was more she could have done? Lena's hand absently reached for the window and she could feel the surge of guilt rising in her as the tears fell.

A loud, almost animalistic, scream shocked Lena out of her head and into the present. _What was that?_ Lena peered into the room, it did sound like it was coming from there. As her eyes took in Alex's shaking form, she understood. It was Alex. Alex was on her knees, her hand covering her head as she sobbed into the ground. She couldn't help but wonder…where was Kara? Supergirl needed her and now, so did Alex. Why wasn't she here? Lena's hand lingered on the door, hesitant. Should she go in?

'Alex?' she felt two strong hands wrap around her shoulders as she shook. A glimpse of the familiar red and blue suit confirmed Alex's suspicions. Clark.

Reflexively, Alex tried to shut herself off. Crying in front of anyone who wasn't Kara was nothing short of a sin for her. She pulled away, quickly wiping her tears, forcing her mind to push away the pain that was threatening to overwhelm her.

'Clark…' she managed to get out as she tried to compose herself. Clark stayed silent. He could tell it was important for Alex that she composed herself in front of him. He looked away, wanting to give her some privacy.

As she got to her feet, so did he. His eyes fell on Kara's comatose state. As he took in the ventilator, monitors and her injuries, his eyes filled with tears. He couldn't help but hear an echo of her laughter in his ears, an image of her smiling face flashing through his mind. He quickly turned away, his hands balling into fists.

'I'm sorry…' he whispered, not just to Kara but to Alex as well.

She turned to him, her eyes still forming tears. Watching superman cry forced Alex to confront her own emotions. Without hesitation she leaned in for a hug, knowing that if there was anyone in the world who could feel even a fraction of what she was going through, it was him. Clark hugged back, allowing himself to comfort and be comforted.

J'onn walked into the training room and headed straight for the sparring equipment. Changing back into his martian self he began his usual punching routine. But it didn't stay routine for long. With every punch he threw, he felt the anger inside burn hotter. And so he punched harder. And harder. And harder. And…

'J'ONN!' his fist stopped flying mid-air, the voice yanking him out of his reverie. It was Father.

J'onn turned to his father, noticing for the first time that his vision was obscured by tears.

'J'onn what are you doing?' his father was in his human form, his face a mixture of worry and confusion.

Reluctantly, J'onn changed back into his human form and immediately fell to his knees. He knew it, he was too weak.

'J'onn…?' the confusion in his father's voice prompted J'onn to answer.

'I should have been there, Father. I have loved Kara like my own daughter since I have known her. I couldn't protect T'ania and K'hym when I should have and now I have failed to protect Kara as well. I thought I could redeem myself for being a failure to my own daughters and now I have done the same again to Kara.' J'onn stared at the ground as he spoke, his anger morphing into what it really was all along; guilt.

'J'onn…how could you possibly have known?' His father knelt in front of him, his voice soft. M'yrnn had never seen what losing his family had done to J'onn, and a part of him had always been glad. Seeing your child grieve is never something a parent should ever have to do. But watching J'onn break down this way in front of him scared M'yrnn. If he was perfectly honest, he didn't know what to do. But he had to do something.

'My instincts kept telling me to stop her, but seeing her so confident I didn't. I was too busy here, instead of being out there. I should have been a soldier today, Father, and instead I chose to stay here to be an agent.' J'onn slammed his fist onto the ground, hating himself for not listening to his gut.

M'yrnn hesitated for a moment as he took in his son's broken form. There was only one thing he could do, really. He leaned forward and wrapped him into his arms. A gesture that only today felt deep and genuine.

As Lena's hands lingered on the door, another figure appeared beside her. She turned, taken aback.

'Superman?' _where had he come from?_

'Miss Luthor.' Lena could hear the fear in his voice. His head turned to look through the window and as soon as he saw Alex, he didn't hesitate for a second before slipping through the door. Lena clenched her fists. He was the better person to be with them right now. She might be a friend…but he was family.

As Lena stood alone in the corridor again, she noticed Winn standing alone in the balcony. Having seen what Supergirl's state had done to him, she decided to go make sure he was okay.

'Winn?' Winn, who had his head in his hands, whipped around at the sound of his name.

'Is Kara okay?' he blurted, his eyes bloodshot.

'Kara?' Lena's brows furrowed.

As Winn realised what he had said, it was too late to take it back.

'Did you just say, Kara?'

'Well…I…Wha…It's…'But Winn's mind was too preoccupied to come up with an explanation. He sighed, placing his head back in his hands. As much as it stressed him out to know he had just outed Kara, he would give anything, **anything** , to have her kick his butt. As long as she was okay, he would be more than happy to face her anger. As long as she was okay, he would face anything.

Lena stood, stunned, as her mind replayed all the incredible 'coincidental' moments Supergirl had swooped in to save the day seemingly out of nowhere. And then felt her heart almost drop into her stomach as the realisation hit her. If Kara was Supergirl…then she wasn't just about to lose a friend. She was about to lose a sister.

After a few minutes of silence, Winn looked up from his hands. Lena had been awfully quiet for someone who should be mad.

Instead, Lena was looking out towards the city.

Confused, Winn had to ask. 'Lena? Are you okay?'

'Well my best friend is currently at death's door, so, no. I'm not.'

'Wait. You're not…mad?' despite all the other emotions wreaking havoc in Winn's head, he had to admit, curiosity and confusion were winning.

'While I am hurt to think Kara didn't want to trust me with her secret, I don't think I can be mad at someone I care about so much. She has saved me more times than I can count, especially if she and Supergirl are one and the same. And now, knowing that she's in there, fighting for every breath, anger is hardly the emotion that comes to the forefront, don't you think?'

Winn nodded solemnly, his hand resting on Lena's. 'She's going to be okay…' he started with an intention to reassure. 'Right?' his voice broke, betraying his confidence.

Lena looked into his tear-filled eyes, her own filling up again. 'She is.' She whispered with as much confidence as she could possibly muster.


	3. Part 3

'She is.'

Mon-El opened his eyes at the sound of her voice.

'Please stop doing that.' He said through gritted teeth.

Imra exhaled, she had spent 5 years trying to get Mon-El to open up and now he was right back where he started. As much as she tried to avoid reading his mind, sometimes it was the only way to get him to communicate. The only question on his mind had been if Kara was going to be okay and she couldn't help but answer it after having stared at him for over 5 minutes in silence.

'You knew, didn't you?' Mon-El turned to face her, his eyes burning with tears.

'Mon-el…' Imra began, shaking her head. Mon-El clenched his fists, trying to stop himself from grabbing her in anger.

'Don't lie to me, Imra. Please.' He was trying to keep his voice level, but Imra knew exactly what he was thinking. She knew the history of Supergirl better than anyone. She had studied her for years since Mon-El introduced her.

She sighed. 'I'm sorry, Mon-El. I was just trying to protect the future.'

'So you decided to let her go off on a suicide mission with no back-up?' His voice got louder with each word.

'It wasn't supposed to…' Imra bit her lips, unsure if she should say it. But she could hear Mon-El's thoughts screaming at her to speak.

'It wasn't supposed to get this bad. I knew she would lose her first battle with Reign, but it wasn't supposed to almost kill her.' Imra couldn't look Mon-El in the eye as she confessed.

'this bad? What do you mean this bad?' Mon-El took a step towards her, feeling his heart sink. Sure, he had been pissed at Imra for constantly saying she would be okay. But he had believed her. What she was saying now meant that…

'History says that Kara was just weakened by the attack. Us coming here was already messing with the timeline. I thought if we stayed away, things would happen as they should. I didn't think…' Imra felt a tear escape. Kara was her inspiration, her muse. She had seen the pain in her eyes the second they had met and that was the last thing she ever, ever wanted to do. Kara had a bright future ahead of her, a future that had made Imra the superhero she was today and Imra had wanted to protect that. She had even tried to make things right with Kara earlier, but Kara's grief was too much for Imra to get through.

'Are you telling me…' Mon-El's voice cracked as the reality of it all hit him. 'That we are the reason Kara's life is in danger today?'

Imra looked up at Mon-El, his eyes were filled with grief as his thoughts expressed his guilt and anguish.

'You didn't let me help her.' Mon-El whispered, his legs gave way beneath him as the truth sunk in. He was the reason Kara was in that state and worst of all? He could have stopped it.

'Mon-El, I understand…' Imra began, his thoughts clear as day to her.

'DON'T.' Her voice was the spark that turned his grief into rage. 'just because you can hear my thoughts, does NOT mean you can understand my feelings.'

He got to his feet, his eyes glaring at Imra. Imra shrunk back, knowing that there was nothing she could say or do for him right now. Mon-El needed to be with the only person who had ever truly understood him. Kara.

* * *

'Are you sure you're ready?' Clark asked Alex as she discarded the bloodied gauze and dressing equipment.

'No. But there are people out there who love Kara as much as we do, and they'll want to know what's going on so.' Alex's voice was still heavy from the crying, but she needed agent Danvers to come back. Clark nodded. He looked down at Kara and gently pressed down the side of her bandages, making sure they were all in place.

Alex walked back to the sunbed and watched as Clark gently secured the dressings. It was almost unbelievable how gentle he was considering he could crush rocks in his hand. She gently cupped Kara's face with her hand. It was colder than she was used to. Alex pulled back, her heart breaking at this discovery.

'We've got this.' Clark said, reaching over Kara to hold Alex's hand. Alex looked up at Clark. His eyes betrayed the confidence in his voice. But she knew she needed to be strong and it gave her comfort knowing that there was someone else who found that equally hard to do.

Alex nodded, and both headed towards the door. Alex cleared her throat, preparing for the faces she would see as soon as they went through that door.

* * *

As M'yrnn hugged his son, he spoke. 'You cannot change what has already happened, my son. But you can be there for Kara. She needs you to be the strongest you can be. Blaming yourself will not help her in any way. And J'onn. I have seen how these humans value you. You are not just their leader, you are their strength.'

J'onn pulled away from his father, nodding. His father was right. Kara needed him now more than ever. And so did Alex and the rest of the team. He needed to pull himself together and be there for all of them.

'You are right, Father. My team needs me. I could not be there for Kara today. I will not make that mistake again.' J'onn got to his feet, channelling his guilt and anger into something more productive; strength.

'We should get back.' M'yrnn suggested, reaching over J'onn's shoulder and giving it a tight squeeze. He could not be prouder of his son if he tried. What he failed to do for him before when his family was destroyed, he hoped he had made up for today.

* * *

Lena and Winn were back to waiting in the corridor outside the Sun room, their worried eyes constantly glancing at the door. Both couldn't help but wonder what it meant that Alex was taking so long...

Just as Lena turned her head to look up at the door again, her eyes fell on James. He was standing right across from her, shoulders slouched. Lena remembered the conversation they had had earlier and couldn't help but feel hurt again.

'Lena, I'm sorry.' James whispered. His voice was hoarse. He had been crying. It made perfect sense now. Kara was his best friend, it was no surprise he was torn up over her. Lena smiled weakly, understanding that his rage had come from a place of fear, not malice.

'Kara is your best friend. You were worried about her.' She said as she watched him struggle to find words to say to her.

'I know, but I shouldn't have taken it out on you. I was angry at myself. I…' James froze. Had Lena just said **Kara**?

'She knows.' Winn, who had slowly slipped away to give them some privacy responded from a few feet away, unable to keep himself from eavesdropping.

'Wait, what? How?' James looked between them, confused?

'Winn accidentally said her name. But that's not what's important right now.' Lena pointed towards J'onn and M'yrnn who were walking up to them.

'How is she?' J'onn asked, looking at each of them in turn. James was about to respond when the sun room door opened.

Alex and Clark walked out, their faces solemn.

'How is she, Alex?' Winn asked instantly, fear entrenched in his voice. The looks on all their faces shook Alex more than she expected.

'She's stable.' Her voice shook, she wanted to give the good news first but now she couldn't continue.

'But she's still critical. Hopefully the sun rays will start working and we'll have some good news soon.' Clark continued for Alex.

'How long will that take?' Everyone's heads turned at the sound of that voice. Alex felt the anger rising inside her again as her eyes fell on Mon-El.

He stood there, his face contorted with worry, away from all the others.

No one spoke as they all regarded him with disdain. He was the reason Kara was in this mess.

'Alex I…' he began, taking a step forward. Alex lunged at him, burning with rage.

'You! You did this to her! Do you know what's the last thing she saw before she went to fight that thing? You and your wife giggling away in each other's arms. Is this why you came back? So you could throw your marriage in her face? Do you know how much you've hurt her?!' Alex screamed at him as she grabbed his collar and pushed him back towards the wall. Mon-El didn't even try to fight back. He deserved it.

Alex raised her arm to punch him square in the face but was pulled back by someone who had wrapped their arms around her waist. 'Let me **GO**. HE DESERVES IT!' she screamed, fighting against the restraint. Mon-El stood, silent as he watched Alex get pulled off him. A part of him had wanted that punch, maybe more than just one. He didn't know how else to punish himself.

'ALEX! Calm down!' J'onn said firmly into her ear as he held her back. No one else had dared to step in. No one wanted to mess with Alex when it came to Kara. No one but J'onn.

'Alex! Look at me!' J'onn had dragged her away and had her pinned against the opposite wall. Her eyes were still trained on Mon-El.

Reluctantly, Alex looked at J'onn. As he looked into them, he felt his arms loosen around her. So much pain, so much fear. 'Alex.' He said again, softer this time.

'He did this to her, J'onn. I saw the look in her eyes before she left. Her heart was broken, there was so much anguish in her eyes. I saw it, J'onn. I saw it and didn't stop her.' Tears streamed down her face before she had a chance to control them.

'I know, Alex. I know.' J'onn let go of her and turned back to Mon-El.

'You should leave.' He said, trying to control his own anger.

Mon-El looked at the others. 'I just want to know that she's okay.' He said, pleading with them.

'I think you lost that right a long time ago, Mon-El.' James responded, stepping towards him.

'James, I still love…' James' hand flew to Mon-El's collar, stopping him.

'Don't. You have a wife. Go to her. Kara doesn't need you.' James said through clenched teeth, rage in his eyes.

Mon-El looked at the others, hoping someone would say something to help him. But everyone's eyes were filled with anger. Mon-El clenched his fists and took a step back, James releasing his collar. Giving all of them one last, forlorn look, Mon-El turned and started to walk away.

Alex quickly wiped the tears, her mind quickly composing itself.

Winn was quick to break the silence. 'Can we see her?'

'Yeah, of course. I'm going to go tell mom what happened.' Alex cleared her throat and nodded.

As Alex walked away to call Eliza, Winn, James, Lena and J'onn walked into the sun room, followed by Clark.

Winn felt the knot in his stomach tighten as his eyes regarded Kara. Her mouth was open, the tube coming off to one side. Her left eye was still bruised, but all the blood had been cleaned. She looked like she was just sleeping. The last time Kara had slept like this was when she had been attacked by the Black Mercy. Winn reached for Kara's left hand, remembering all the times she had held on to his. Her hands were still as soft as he remembered, but oh-so-cold. Colder than they had ever been with the Black Mercy. That came as a blow to Winn, making him realise how much more serious this was.

Kara and his relationship had always been strong. They were best friends, they were each other's strengths. They had relied on each other more times than he could count, and Winn felt unbelievably helpless that today, he could do nothing to help her. He looked down at Kara's hand in his.

Gently, he laced his fingers with hers and gave her hand a little squeeze, hoping against hope that she would respond. He felt a giant weight settle on his chest as Kara's hand didn't even twitch. Tears were falling freely now, Winn realised.

The soft yellow glow that she was bathed in made her look like an angel, the light gently bouncing off her skin. Lena stepped closer to Kara, her eyes now regarding her completely differently. Before when she had seen Supergirl, all that came to mind was the falling of a hero. Now, she was going to lose the only person in the world who truly believed in her. Gently, she lay her hand on Kara's forehead. 'Kara…' Lena whispered as she regarded her best friend. Her mind replayed all the little moments they had shared, all the laughs, the hugs, the rescues. As she watched her lie there, eyes closed, oblivious to the world, Lena felt a depth of pain she had never felt before. No one had ever been close enough to her for her to understand loss. Kara was the first ever person Lena could say she felt scared of losing. Gently, she ran her hands through Kara's sandy blonde hair. 'Come back to us, Kara.' Lena whispered, as she leaned in to plant a gentle kiss on Kara's forehead.

James reached down for Kara's right hand, which had various wires attached to it. The lifelessness of it as he picked it up was like a punch to his gut. When Kara had been under the Black Mercy, they had been terrified of losing her, but at least they had known she was alive. But this time…this time there truly was no guarantee. This time, they didn't know how to bring her back…or if there was anywhere they could bring her back from. Never had he seen Kara so vulnerable…never had he thought she ever could be. He looked up to see Clark.

Clark was stood near the door, his eyes trained on Kara. The only other time James had seen Clark's eyes filled with this much pain was when Lois' life had been on the time. But even then, Clark hadn't looked this…scared.

J'onn stood at the foot of the bed, looking down at Kara. Kara had always been a fighter, from the first day she came to work in the DEO. She was headstrong and jumped right into the most dangerous of situations, fearless. J'onn had always been displeased with her blatant disregard for safety, but Kara had never let him down. She always, **always** came back victorious. Maybe that's why he had ignored his instinct to protect her today. Kara's past determination had clouded his ability to recognise the pain she had held in her eyes. As J'onn took in her lifeless, vulnerable form, he felt his Martian heart ache the way it had on Mars all those years ago. The familiar fear of loss was back and threatening to swallow him again. But Kara needed him to be there when she came back, because obviously, she was going to come back. She had to.

Suddenly, the door flew open, making everyone jump. Everyone, except Kara. As everyone's eyes flew to the door, Winn couldn't help but give Kara a quick glance, hoping that she had been shocked into consciousness. Nothing.

Winn turned back to the door, trying not to let the disappointment overwhelm him.

It was another DEO agent. 'Reign is back. She's terrorizing citizens down at town square and threatening to come here to kill Supergirl.' The agent looked at all of them as he spoke.

'We have to go.' J'onn spoke as he rushed towards the door, his professional persona pushing away the feelings that were threatening to weaken him. 'Superman, we need you.' Clark nodded and followed close behind.

'I'll be back, Kara.' Winn gave Kara's hand another squeeze before running behind them, fighting Reign was the best way to help Kara now.

James and Lena shared a look, knowing that they, too, could contribute. Giving Kara one last look, they left, catching up to the others.

As the door was about to shut, another figure slipped quietly in. Mon-El.


	4. part 4

The first thing Mon-El noticed as he walked into the room was the emptiness in the air. Since the day Kara had found him on that ship, the tension in air between them was thick enough to slice. But today, there was nothing. The silence was deafening, broken only by the quiet hissing of the ventilator.

Mon-El's foot stop in mid-air, hesitant. He was scared. Terrified of facing her now that he knew why she was there in the first place. But the ache in his heart forced his feet forward. He needed to see her, touch her.

Slowly, he approached the table, unconsciously holding his breath, his footsteps echoing. The grief in his chest was coming in waves, each more ferocious than the previous. He steadied himself using the edge of the sunbed as it threatened to overwhelm him. His eyes were glued to Kara's face. If it wasn't for the bruises, the bandages and the ET tube, she looked nothing less than a sleeping angel. The same angel he had dreamed of waking up next to for the rest of his life.

Tears flowed freely as his gently reached out to cup her face. 'Kara…' he could barely whisper as a sob escaped. The memory of Kara's pushing against his hand unconsciously as she slept all those years ago was quick to hit him, forcing him to drop to his knees.

What had he done?

'I love you…' her voice whispered in his ears as he felt her hands cupping his face in the seconds before he had left Earth forever. As he left that day, he had wanted nothing more than to find his way back to her. And now that he was back, he couldn't help but wish he had just died.

'I'm sorry Kara…I'm so, so sorry.' He sniffled, his other hand reaching for hers. He laced his fingers with hers, the perfection with which they fit together sending a jolt of electricity up his arm. He pushed himself back onto his feet. He looked at her bruised face, eyes still. The last time he had nearly lost her, all she needed was a kiss to bring her back to him.

He leaned down for a kiss, his tears falling freely onto her cheek. He gently thumbed them away before placing his lips on hers, careful to steer clear of the tube.

As his lips met hers, Mon-El felt a wave of warmth rush through him. The familiarity of her touch chasing away his demons, albeit for just one second. Only she could ever make him feel that way and even after 7 years, his soul still yearned for that feeling. Her lips, albeit chapped, pressed softly against his, caressing his to sculpted perfection. The only thing missing, was her warm familiar breath that always smelt like cinnamon and coffee. Mon-El closed his eyes, trying to will his own breaths into her.

As he pulled away, his eyes searched Kara's face for any, **any** sign of life. Hoping against hope that his love for her would bring her back again.

But it was his love that put her there in the first place, a voice in his head chided him.

He looked at her battered face and bit his lip, wishing he could capture her essence in them forever.

'I never wanted to hurt you Kara.' He whispered. 'I lived in a world without you for 7 years, and I swear to you they were the worst years of my life. The thought that I would never see you again was so painful the only thing I could do was turn it off and move on. But Kara I…' Mon-El brought her hand up to his face and gently placed his cheek in her palm. Her fingers gently curled, her nails pressing against his ear.

'I never stopped loving you, or thinking about you, or wishing you were there. I remember how I felt seeing you with that other-wordly imp and if that's even close to what you felt when you saw Imra…' Mon-el couldn't help but recognise that familiar pang of jealousy as the thought of mxy popped into his head. 'I want you to hurt me, Kara. I want you to be mad, to scream, to yell, to punch me. But you kept walking away and I…'Mon-El stopped abruptly, the realisation hitting him.

'…I should have come after you.' A wave of guilt surged through him, almost knocking him off his feet. If it had been 7 years ago, he would have gone after her. He would have chased her to the end of the world if he had to, no matter how angry she got. He would have gone after her. Just like she always came for him.

'I let you down, didn't I, Kara?' He squeezed Kara's hand and brought it to his lips.

'I tried, you know? I tried so, so hard to get back to you.' His other hand reached for the necklace as he spoke. 'but as the years wore on I could feel the hope wear off. As much as I wanted to get back to you, there was also a part of me that knew that you…you had moved on. 3000 years in the future, you had moved on. And I guess I felt you would want that for me too. This necklace has been close to my heart every second of every day I spent without you and it's the only thing that kept it beating. Coming back to you was all I ever wanted too, and I so wish it was easier to get things back to how they used to be. But Kara I…' Mon-el shook his head, squeezing his eyes as tears flowed out. Imra was his wife, Kara was his past and he had vowed to give Imra his future. What was he going to do?

Suddenly, the monitors started beeping. Mon-el's eyes flew open, but he couldn't understand what they were saying. Equipment at this time made virtually no sense to him. 'Kara?' he called out, sliding off the table. Kara's chest had stopped moving in tandem with the ventilator.

His head turned towards the door. Agents would come flying in any second, he had to go.

Just as he was about to leave, he froze. He reached around the back of his neck to unhook the necklace.

'It protected me, just like you said it would. Now I need it to protect you.' He reached around Kara's neck, securing the hook back. As he pulled away, he planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. 'Stay, Kara.'

The doors flew open and Winn ran into the room. He froze as he saw Mon-el leaning over Kara.

'You shouldn't be here.' Winn barked as he ran towards Kara. Mon-el looked up at him, half-expecting to be attacked by James or J'onn. He breathed a small sigh of relief when he realised it was Winn.

'Winn, I…' before he could finish his sentence, Winn's fist landed square on his jaw. Mon-el staggered back, mostly taken by surprise rather than force.

'Get. Out.' Winn's voice was firm, his eyes only stopping to glance at Mon-el before getting back to Kara.

'Winn…' Mon-el began, confused. Winn was his friend, he had helped him more times than anyone else.

'Get out!' Winn yelled, this time not even looking at him.

'Kara?!' Winn shook Kara's shoulders.

'It's the ventilator.' Mon-el stepped closer, trying to point it out.

'I will not hesitate to punch you again man, just get the hell out of this room. You've done enough.' Winn walked towards the ventilator. The 'out of air' sign was blinking. Quickly, he reached for the extra pipes that were connected to the oxygen tanks and reconnected them. Mon-el couldn't bring himself to leave, especially not when he knew Kara's life was on the line. What if Winn needed help? He wouldn't ask him for it, Mon-el knew that much, but he would still offer it.

The machine stopped beeping as Winn finished connecting the pipe.

'Is it okay now?' Mon-el asked before he could stop himself. Winn whipped around to look at him. Rage was burning in his eyes.

'Winn, listen to me. You're my friend, I…' Mon-el started backing away from him.

'friend? After all this, you still have the guts to call yourself that? The last time you used that on me, you brought back a **wife**.' He spat the last word out.

'I still love…'Mon-el began.

'Don't. Just, don't, okay? You need to stop saying that. You can't say that when you have a freaking **wife**.'

'Winn, I know I hurt Kara. Just let me expl…'

'Hurt? You think that's all you did? _Hurt_?!' Winn shook his head in disbelief.

'She tried to destroy her humanity because of you. She had become a shell of the Kara Danvers we knew when you were gone. She felt so guilty about making you leave, she convinced herself you had died and had panic attacks. I had to watch her force herself to smile whenever she saw other couples even though as she wanted to do was crawl into a ball and cry. Every single day she wished and wished for you to return and just when she was **finally** about to move on, you come back, bringing back all the feelings she worked so hard to get through. And you bring your **wife**! She wasn't even done grieving about you leaving and now she has to see you locking tongues with another woman? Hurt doesn't even **begin** to cover it.'

Mon-el looked at the floor, Winn's words stabbing into his heart like daggers. He knew Kara had been through a lot, but to hear it out loud…it was painful. Winn had been the only one who ever tried to understand and watching _him_ be the one yell at him. Mon-el knew he had crossed the line with him.

'you have no idea how much everyone wants to hurt you right now. The only reason you're still walking around here is because of Kara. She wanted us to help you with your ship. Even after she found out about your wife.' Winn couldn't bring himself to say her name.

'This wasn't how it was supposed to be.'

'You should leave before someone else comes.' Winn turned back to Kara. As tempted as he was to punch him again, his hand really, _really_ hurt.

Mon-el gritted his teeth, took another look at Kara and walked out of the room.

As he stepped out, he was greeted by Imra.

'How is she?' she asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Mon-el looked at her, shrugging away from her touch.

'Mon-el, please. I am really sorry. You know how much I admire Supergirl. I would never do something like this if I had known that…' Imra trailed off, tears forming in her eyes.

Mon-el sighed. 'and you know how much I love her. Imra I…I need time to get over this, okay?'

Suddenly the alarms started going off all around them, making them jump. Imra and Mon-el turned to look around, their bodies ready to fight.

'What is that?' Imra yelled over the blaring alarms.

If memory served him correctly… 'It might be a breach!'

Both of them looked towards the main control room. Reign.

Imra had just started running off when Mon-el grabbed her hand.

'We need more help!' he yelled out, his eyebrows raised.

'What? No, no, we can't!' Imra yelled back as she realised what he was asking for.

'Imra, listen to me! She's trying to kill Kara. You stopped me from helping her once. I'm not going to let you stop me again.' He tried to make his voice as firm as he could as he screamed over the alarm.

Imra could barely hear his words, but his thoughts were clear. He wasn't asking for her permission or opinion this time. His mind had been made up. She let out an exasperated sigh.

'Fine!' She screamed back.

'Let's go get the legion!'


End file.
